Knuckle-guiding attachment for car couplings



J. H. FUNK- KNUCKLE GUIDING ATTACHMENT FOR COUPLINGS.

' APPLlCATlON FILED MAR. 9;

1,407,402. Patented Feb. 1922.

IN VEN TOR.

" ATTORNEY J. H. FUNK.

KNUCKLE GUIDING ATIACHMENT FOR CAR COUPLINGS.

APPLlCATlON FIL ED MAR- 9. 192!- 1,407,402, Patented Feb. 21, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- I N VEN TOR.

A TTORNEYS JOHN H. FUNK, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

KNUCKLE-GUIDING ATTACHMENT FOR CAR COUPLINGS.

icence.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 21, 1922.

Application filed March 9, 1921. Serial No. 450,865.

To all'whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN H. FUNK, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knuckle-Guiding Attachments for Car Couplings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the artto which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to attachments for car couplers of the'general type disclosed in patent to Hebert No. 1,363,97 3, patented December 28th, 1920. r

In said Patent No. 1,363,973 there' is disclosed a-coupler head having a' pivoted knuckle adapted to interlock with a corresponding mating coupler head, said coupler head also having an integral hook or coupling lug projecting forward from the coupler head, substantially parallel with the knuckle, for the purpose-of interlocking with a coupler'of the standard M. C. B. or Janney type, as illustrated in Figure 7 of the said patent.

I have found that the swaying of the cars and the relative movements of two coupled cars in going around a sharp curve permits of relative lateral play between a coupler of the Hebert type and its integral hook, on the one hand, and a coupler of the J anney type with its pivoted knuckle, on the other hand.

It is an object of the present invention to remedy the stated defect'of'the couple-r; dis closed in said Patent No. 1,363,973 when coupled with a Janney type coupler by an attachment causing the knuckle of a coupler of the latter type to interlock accurately with the rigid hook of the Hebert coupler referred to, and to retain said J anney knuckle securely in position so as to eliminate the side motion referred to.

My invention consists in an attachment adapted to be removably secured to the front of a Hebert coupler head opposite the fixed hook, said attachment being adapted to guide a knuckle of the Janney type into secure engagement with the fixed hook and hold it against lateral motion.

In the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views;

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a coupler head with the improved attachment secured thereto;

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the parts shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan view showing the attachment and a portion of the coupler head in horizontal section;

Figure l is a perspective view of the attachment.

Figures 5, 6 and 7 are views showing a modified form of means for securing the guard attachment.

In the drawings, 1 is a coupler head, and 2 is a draw bar to which the coupler head is pivoted by means of a strong coupling pin 3. Projecting forward from one side of the coupler head 1 is a rigid hook or coupling lug 4: having a point P and a hook element 4" adapted to interlock with the knuckle of a standard M. C. B. or Janney coupler. A knuckle 5 occupies a slot 4 midway of the body of the hook 4: and is pivoted to the coupling head 1 by the pivot pin 6. In the side of the coupler head opposite the hook at and knuckle 5 is an opening providing a shoulder 1 behind which the shoulder 5 on the knuckle 5 of a corresponding coupler is adapted to en gage. 7 is a pivoted releasing lever having a bearing portion 7 adapted to press upon a knuckle 5 and rel'ease'it from engagement with the shoulder 1*, in the manner described in said Patent No. 1,363,973.

- On the under face of the coupling head are guides 10 having projecting guide flanges 11 forming ways 12 for receiving the base flange of a'pipe coupling block. Spaced rearward of the rear end of the guides 10 is a transverse abutment lug 13 adapted to e'ngage the rear of the base of said coupling block. Said coupling block is designated 14: in the drawings and supports compression coupling members 15, 16 and 17 adapted to be coupled with the train pipe for carrying the brake air, the signal air pipe and the steam pipe, respectively. Flanged base 18 of the block 14 is provided with side flanges 19 adapted to seat in the ways 12 and the rear end is adapted to bear against the abutment 13, as described. The said coupling block and the means for seat ing it on the coupler head 1 form no part of the present invention, they having been disclosed and claimed in copending applications filed by me.

The attachment forming the principal feature of this invention consists of a'block 8 having a shank member 8 adapted to fit the cavity of the coupler head on theside opposite the rigid hook or lug 1. This shank is provided with a hole 8 registering with corresponding holes in the upper and lower walls of the coupler head through which and through the holes 8 a pin 9 is adapted to be inserted and locked by the cotter 9. In order to still further assist in looking the attachment 8 to the coupler head 1, I have provided a spring latch 8 which is adapted to catch behind the abutment 1 when the attachment 8 is applied and pushed home. The said latch 8 presents a portion ofv its surface to the bearing member 7 of the releasing lever 7 and the said latch may be released by operating the said lever 7 in the same manner as the knuckle is released when the said attachment is not in place and two corresponding couplers are interlocked. The said latch 8 may be of any suitable construction. I have shown the shank 8 cast hollow and a portion of its outer side 8 cut away, as at 8 and the latch 8 made of fiat spring steel bent to the form shown and riveted or bolted to the inside of said hollow shank 8 Either of the fastening means disclosed may be found adequate to secure the attachment in place, or I may use both for additional security, or any other suitable fastening. means for conveniently securing said attachment to a coupler head, when desired.

The inner face of the attachment 8, or that face which is opposed to the hook element 1 when the attachment is in place, is inclined at an angle to the center line of the coupler fore and aft and is substantially perpendicular. The said face preferably curves around as it approaches the front of the coupler head so as to guide the knuckle of a Janney type coupler accurately into engagement with the hook element 43 or the rigid hook or coupling lug 4-. Projecting from the face 8 at the lower edge of the attachment 8 is a guide flange or shelf 81, said flange or shelf mclining downward and outward and outer extremity 82 of said flange being rounded into a cam surface curving toward the edge of said flange or shelf and also toward its extremity. The object of said flange or shelf '81 with its downward and outward inclined surface and its double inclined cam edge is to properly engage and lift the knuckle of a Janney type coupler and guide it properly into engagement with the hook element 4'.

Figures 5, 6 and 7 illustrate a preferred means for retaining the guarding attachment 8 interlocked with the coupler head 1. In this form of the invention the fastening means are cast integral with the attachment, thereby avoiding the embarrassment of detachable or weak parts that may become loose or get broken, and of a separate fastening means that may be lost, or misplaced when needed.

As shown in Figures 5 and 7, the function of pin 9,- hereinbefore described, is performed by the integral pin or lug 90 pro jecting from the underside of shank 8 and the function of spring latch 8, is performed by the rectangular integral lug 91 projecting from the outer side of shankS The lower lug 90 is adapted to interlock with ahole or other co-operating engaging means in the lower side of the coupler head as illustrated in Figure 5, and the rectangular side lug 91 is adapted to enter the opening in the side wall of the coupler head-and engage snugly against the abutment l The lug 91 is of less dimension vertically than the opening which it enters by a distance equal to or slightly greater than the length of lug 90; the distance between the upper and lower faces of the shank 8 is also less than the vertical dimension of the opening inthe front of the coupler head that receives said shank by an amount at least equal to the length of lug 90. There is also sufficient space between the inner side of the shank 8 and the adjacent wall of the opening to permit the lug 91 to clear from engagement with the abutment 7 When the lugs 90 and 91 areengaged in their respective positions, the rear face of shoulder 8 will be in contact with the front of the coupler head.

By the construction shown in Figures 5, 6 and 7 the attachment 8 ma be applied to a coupler head as shown. ravitation-retains the attachment against the lower wall of the cavity in the coupler head, while the engagement of the lugs 90 and 91 in the openings provided for them, occurring when the rear shoulder 8 of attachment 8 is in contact with the front face of coupler head 1, retains the attachment securely in place.

In order to remove attachment 8 it must be lifted to release lug 90, whereupon it may be moved laterally, with the assistance of lever 7, and pulled from the coupler head. 7 As there are no separate or separable fasten- 115 ers usedwith the preferred form described, the attachment is always ready in an emergency. r

By means of the improved attachment a coupler of the type shown is adapted to be coupled to a car equipped with a 'Janney type or M. C B. coupler and when so coupled danger of disengagement by the lateral motion produced by the rocking of the cars and movement around sharp turns is eliminated. By reason of the fact that the lower edge of the Janney type hook is sustained on the shelf 81, relative up and down movement between the two couplers is limited thus avoiding excessive wear.

Having described my invention in such manner as to enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a car coupler, a coupler head having a pivoted knuckle and a rigid hook projecting longitudinally at one side of the longitudinal axis of the head, said head having, at the opposite side of-its longitudinal axis, a cavity of a depth and cross sectional area substantially corresponding to the length and cross sectional area of the hook, said hook and cavity being symmetrically disposed upon opposite sides of said longitudinal axis; a detachable knuckle guiding attachment having a shank adapted to fit in said cavity, and means for detachably fastening it therein.

2. The combination with a car coupler head having a pivoted knuckle and rigid coupler hook projecting therefrom at one side, a mating-coupler-hook receiving cavity in the head at the side opposite said rigid coupler hook, and an abutment for interlocking with a pivoted knuckle in a mating coupler, of a knuckle guiding attachment having a shank fitting said cavity, and a device on said shank engageable with said abutment.

3. The combination with a car coupler head having a pivoted knuckle and rigid coupler hook projecting therefrom at one side, a mating-coupler-hook-receiving cavity in the head at the side opposite said rigid coupler hook, an abutment for interlocking with a knuckle in a mating coupler, and engaging means in the lower side of the wall of said cavity, of a knuckle guiding attachment having a shouldered shank fitting said cavity, a device on said shank for engaging the rear of said abutment, and a device adapted to interlock with said engaging means.

4. The combination of a coupler head having a rigid coupler hook projecting forward from one side thereof, a knuckle guiding attachment adapted to be detachably secured to the front of said head opposite said hook, said attachment having a perpendicular face oblique to the axis of the coupler head, and a supporting flange at the lower edge of said face.

5. A coupler head having a rigid coupler hook projecting forward from one side thereof, a knuckle guiding attachment adapted to be secured to the front of said head opposite said hook, said guiding attachment having a perpendicular face oblique to the longitudinal axis of the coupler head, and a flange projecting from the lower edge of said face in a downward and forward direction, said flange having a cam surfaced forward end and edge adapted to engage under and lift a knuckle to be coupled with said rigid hook.

6. A detachable knuckle guard for car coupler heads, said guard comprising a body having an inclined side, a reduced shank projecting from said body so as to form a shoulder at junction of shank and body, said shank having a device on that side that is opposite the inclined side of the head for engaging a cooperating device in the coupler head, and said shank also having a device whereby its under side may be interlocked with said coupler head.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JOHN H. FUNK. 

